The bill establishes a statewide pawn data collection system under the Department of Law Enforcement, as outlined in the newly created section 539.004 of the Florida Statutes. The intent of the legislation is to support criminal investigations, enhance public safety, and eliminate fragmented data collection by requiring mandatory participation from secondhand dealers and secondary metals recyclers. The Department is granted procurement authority to contract with a single vendor for the system, which must meet specific requirements, including real-time data access for law enforcement and compliance with security and privacy standards. The bill also prohibits local law enforcement agencies from maintaining separate contracts for pawn data collection and ensures that they will not be charged fees for accessing the data.

Additionally, the bill stipulates that all pawn data collected will be the exclusive property of the state, and vendors will not acquire any ownership rights to this data. It outlines prohibited acts related to the misuse of pawn data and establishes penalties for violations, including civil penalties and potential felony charges for individuals who knowingly misuse the data. The Department is authorized to adopt rules for the implementation of the system, which is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.